Helpline Statement

Helpline Closure Statement

It is with sadness that we announce the closure of our Hampshire wide out of hours helpline service on 31st August 2024.

During COVID19 we amended our DVA Car service to operate a 24/7 helpline as a quick access space to victims and survivors in Hampshire, and we were able to analyse victim/survivor feedback – with 91% of them stating an out of hours helpline was important to them. As a result, we applied to The National Lottery for a further grant to continue the helpline provision after COVID as an out of hours service running alongside our DVA car provision.

Closing a service is never easy, but in the current financial climate it is increasingly difficult to sustain localised specialist service provision that sits outside statutory funded commissioning, and unfortunately, we have been unable to secure further funding to continue this service.

However, there is a great deal to feel thankful for. The helpline has taken over 4,850 calls in the last four years and above all we feel incredibly privileged to have supported so many victims and survivors who have trusted us in their darkest moments.

Our thanks extends to The YOU Trust who have partnered with us on this service in the North of the county and a special thanks to The National Lottery Community Fund for funding our service provision in various iterations over the last six years. Equally we would like to thank all those supporters who raised funds for us, especially during the pandemic.

On a personal level as a Chief Executive of 14 years I know how easy it is to dwell on a feeling of failure when we aren’t able to continue work in one area, and I am truly sorry to victims for not being able to secure this funding. But it is important to remember that the interactions we have been lucky enough to have with victim/survivors over the lifetime of the helpline will remain our inspiration and drive.

In my role at Aurora New Dawn, I don’t often get the chance to provide direct support to survivors, but because the pandemic was such a resource intensive situation it was all hands-on deck, and I was lucky enough to work on the helpline myself during that time.

When you’re in a position of leadership you can all too often become bogged down in budgets, governance, and the constant chase of inadequate funding. So, the conversations I had with women on helpline shifts reminded me of why I love my job. Every conversation is different, and every woman taught me something new and made me think. A helpline is a unique resource and the simplicity of just listening and believing the woman on the end of a phone line can be the most inspiring of interactions.

Some people think our jobs are depressing but that is far from the truth – of course the levels of men’s violence towards women in this country and the lack of adequate justice for them makes me angry; a woman being killed every 2.7 days in the UK by a man leaves me feeling hopeless and rageful – but talking to a woman who needs support never makes me feel that way. I have listened to women cry in despair, blame themselves, and still find ways to keep themselves and their children safe in the most resourceful and creative of ways. But because women hold onto so much hope and are so strong, they have also had me belly laughing. When you are able to interact with victim/survivors and give them the time and space to just talk, you realise despite the men in their lives trying their utmost to break them, women hold onto their core determination – and far from being the cowering weak individual in the corner – they are often the funniest and most defiant people I have been lucky enough to speak to.

Of course, I don’t do direct frontline work every day, and the women who work in our services deserve all the praise. I thank each and every woman who has worked on the helpline over the years, for the long unsociable hours they have put in, and for their commitment ending men’s violence against women.

Our existing services continue to operate, including our DVA cars, Stalking Service, Armed Forces service, support with women in the criminal justice system, and training and consultancy work. We promise to take the learning shared with us from the victim/survivors who used the helpline to keep applying for funding and seek new and innovative areas of provision.

Dr Shonagh Dillon – CEO Aurora New Dawn

1st August 2024

If you are a victim/survivor in Hampshire from September 1st you can contact the following helplines for support:

• Stop Domestic Abuse – 0330 0533 630 – open 09:30 to 17:30 Monday to Thursday and 09:30 to 17:00 Friday.
• National Domestic Abuse Helpline – 0808 2000 247 – open 24/7
• National Stalking Helpline – 0808 802 0300 – Open 09:30 – 20:00, Monday and Wednesday 09:30 – 16:00, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
• National Rape Crisis Helpline – 0808 500 2222 – open 24/7
• Men’s Advice Line – 0808 801 0327 – open Monday to Friday 10:00 to 17:00
• Hourglass – Domestic abuse support for older victims – 0808 808 8141 – open 24/7
• Galop Helpline for LGBT+ victims – 0808 999 5428 open Monday – Thursday, 10:00 to 20:00 and Friday, 10:00 to 16:00